The Mountaineer Online

Commissaries will start scanning IDs

FORT LEE, Va. – Commissaries will soon begin scanning customers’ Department of Defense ID cards at checkouts as the Defense Commissary Agency continues its pursuit to deliver a 21st century benefit.The commissary at Fort Lee, Va., became the first store to scan ID cards on Oct. 22 as the first part of an agencywide rollout to all stores that will begin Nov. 10 and will be completed by mid-January.Commissary shoppers are used to showing their ID cards to establish their eligibility to use the commissary. By scanning the ID at checkout, DeCA will no longer need to maintain any personal information on customers in its computer systems, such as the system used for customers who write checks. Scanning also will help improve the commissary benefit for all patrons, according to Joseph H. Jeu, DeCA director and CEO.“In addition to verifying customers as authorized commissary patrons, we’ll gain information that will give us a better understanding of our patrons, allowing the agency to provide the commissary benefit more effectively and efficiently,” Jeu said. Cross-referenced with other DOD data, the scan data will give DeCA useful information about patron usage, by military service, along with customer demographics that does not identify specific personal data of an individual person. This will eventually help the agency identify shopping needs and preferences – information that is essential in today’s retail business environment. It also will allow more accurate reporting to the military services on commissary usage. The demographic information DeCA will use is strictly limited to card ID number, rank, military status, branch of service, age, household size and ZIP codes of residence and duty station. DeCA will not use any personal information, such as names, addresses or phone numbers. “The methods, processes and information we’ll use will not compromise our customers’ privacy – they can be sure of that,” Jeu said. “We’re putting technology to work to better understand our customers and ensure the commissary benefit continues to remain relevant to them now and in the future.” For more information on ID card scanning, go to www.commissaries.com.

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